Saturday, October 4, 2008
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
The Best Toys by Tiffany Potter
The Best Toys
What kind of toy should I get for my child? How much money I spend? If you are a parent, probably you have asked these questions many times. Well, the good news is that the best toys may be the ones that are the least expensive.
"Kids benefit more from active manipulation and exploration than from passive watch- ing, so simple toys that demand imagination are better than flashy battery-powered cars or talking dolls, which limit what your child can do," says the book Motivated Minds- Rais- ing Children to Love Learning. The latter toys may be fun at first, but children usually lose interest in them quickly because they don't allow them to experiment, explore, or create.
Depending on a child's age, mentally stimulating toys include things as simple as build- ing blocks, empty boxes, paper, art materials, and even sand and water. "Small toys, like farm animals," says Motivated Minds, "will give [a child] a chance to match, group, and com- pare, and to develop his language skills by making up stories." The book also suggests sim- ple musical instruments-if you are prepared to endure the noise-because these allow child- ren to explore sounds and their patterns.
Children have imaginations, and they are eager both to learn and play. So why not help them In all three areas by choosing their toys wisely.
Tips: Families that make a success of learning. 1-Frequent communication of high but reasonable expectations to children, given in love. 2-Aview of hard work as a key to success. 3-An active life-style, not a sedentary one. 4-Many hours of home-centered learning each week and activities that include school homework,
reading for leisure, hobbies, family projects, and household training and duties. 5-A view of the family as a mutual-support system and problem-solving unit. 6-Clearly understood household rules, consistently enforced. 7-Frequent contact with teachers. 8- An emphasis on spiritual growth.
http://www.tpot4t.com/
What kind of toy should I get for my child? How much money I spend? If you are a parent, probably you have asked these questions many times. Well, the good news is that the best toys may be the ones that are the least expensive.
"Kids benefit more from active manipulation and exploration than from passive watch- ing, so simple toys that demand imagination are better than flashy battery-powered cars or talking dolls, which limit what your child can do," says the book Motivated Minds- Rais- ing Children to Love Learning. The latter toys may be fun at first, but children usually lose interest in them quickly because they don't allow them to experiment, explore, or create.
Depending on a child's age, mentally stimulating toys include things as simple as build- ing blocks, empty boxes, paper, art materials, and even sand and water. "Small toys, like farm animals," says Motivated Minds, "will give [a child] a chance to match, group, and com- pare, and to develop his language skills by making up stories." The book also suggests sim- ple musical instruments-if you are prepared to endure the noise-because these allow child- ren to explore sounds and their patterns.
Children have imaginations, and they are eager both to learn and play. So why not help them In all three areas by choosing their toys wisely.
Tips: Families that make a success of learning. 1-Frequent communication of high but reasonable expectations to children, given in love. 2-Aview of hard work as a key to success. 3-An active life-style, not a sedentary one. 4-Many hours of home-centered learning each week and activities that include school homework,
reading for leisure, hobbies, family projects, and household training and duties. 5-A view of the family as a mutual-support system and problem-solving unit. 6-Clearly understood household rules, consistently enforced. 7-Frequent contact with teachers. 8- An emphasis on spiritual growth.
http://www.tpot4t.com/
About the Author
Retired great grandmom.
Children's Crafts For A Rainy Day by Candice Sabrina
Another rainy or snowy day and you are stuck at home with the children. They are full of too much energy and are driving you crazy. The weather is too bad to let them go outside and play so how do you keep your sanity and them busy at the same time? Regardless of the age of the children, there are literally hundreds of different children's craft projects that you can have readily available for such miserable days.
Plan ahead for these days and have a few special children's craft projects ready to pull out of the closet. Remember that they should be appropriate for the age of the child and something that will catch their interest and keep them occupied for hours.
Go to your local craft store and browse through the endless aisles of items. The employees there will be more willing to help you come up with a few ideas on projects that you can take home and keep available for future use. For younger children there are paint sets that include special paper, pens and brushes that only take the addition of water.
You let the child paint the picture and it colors each section automatically-after it dries, it goes back to a solid white that can be repainted again and again. No fuss or mess to clean up but it will amuse them for hours.
Give the children colored paper, blunt scissors, glue and crayons and have them make pictures of their family and friends. Teach them how to cut out special shapes such as baby dolls that come in a chain or even snowflakes.
You may want to consider a special needlepoint project for beginners. These come with everything needed to make a small picture and it usually includes the frame for hanging. This is especially good for a young girl who has watched their own mother do needlepoint while growing up. Now, she is a big girl and can also work on her own projects.
There is also special clay you can purchase in numerous colors that each child can make into different shapes. Consider having them make their favorite animals, stick people or special symbols that they enjoy. After each is shaped, you bake it in the oven for a few minutes, let it cool, and then you can paint them and glue magnets to the back.
The specific children's craft project you select is not as important as the quality time you will have with your children. The hours that would have been filled with bored children driving each other crazy and a frustrated parent will now be transformed into hours of fun.
Remember that your children will only be young once and that time goes by quickly. Planning for bad weather days with special children's crafts are just one way to create and enjoy quality time with your children. They will remember the times that you spent together working on their craft projects, laughing and just having fun.
Plan ahead for these days and have a few special children's craft projects ready to pull out of the closet. Remember that they should be appropriate for the age of the child and something that will catch their interest and keep them occupied for hours.
Go to your local craft store and browse through the endless aisles of items. The employees there will be more willing to help you come up with a few ideas on projects that you can take home and keep available for future use. For younger children there are paint sets that include special paper, pens and brushes that only take the addition of water.
You let the child paint the picture and it colors each section automatically-after it dries, it goes back to a solid white that can be repainted again and again. No fuss or mess to clean up but it will amuse them for hours.
Give the children colored paper, blunt scissors, glue and crayons and have them make pictures of their family and friends. Teach them how to cut out special shapes such as baby dolls that come in a chain or even snowflakes.
You may want to consider a special needlepoint project for beginners. These come with everything needed to make a small picture and it usually includes the frame for hanging. This is especially good for a young girl who has watched their own mother do needlepoint while growing up. Now, she is a big girl and can also work on her own projects.
There is also special clay you can purchase in numerous colors that each child can make into different shapes. Consider having them make their favorite animals, stick people or special symbols that they enjoy. After each is shaped, you bake it in the oven for a few minutes, let it cool, and then you can paint them and glue magnets to the back.
The specific children's craft project you select is not as important as the quality time you will have with your children. The hours that would have been filled with bored children driving each other crazy and a frustrated parent will now be transformed into hours of fun.
Remember that your children will only be young once and that time goes by quickly. Planning for bad weather days with special children's crafts are just one way to create and enjoy quality time with your children. They will remember the times that you spent together working on their craft projects, laughing and just having fun.
About the Author
For more information on crafts, try visiting http://www.craftguidance.com - a website that specializes in providing craft related tips, advice and resources to include information on childrens crafts.
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